Today, Detached -- the company behind the JuiceTank -- said it was "in the final stages of development" and that the tooling segment of production was ahead of schedule.

The peculiar hybrid, which was unveiled last month on idea incubator Kickstarter, differs from the bevy of cases with built-in charging features. Instead of including a built-in battery to augment runtime, it has an integrated wall plug that lets you plug your iPhone 4/4S directly into an outlet, eliminating the need to use a USB-based charger.

The project launched with the goal of raising $125,000 and has since pulled in more than $67,300, with a little more than a month left to go. Even so, those funds cannot be accessed until the goal is met. In a release today, JuiceTank's creators said they are using "interim capital" to get production underway, which will get the product ready by this summer instead of the original launch time frame slated for the very end of this year.

Detached is sticking with its $70 retail price for the case, however, for those who contribute at least $55 to the Kickstarter campaign will get a case ahead of when it goes on sale, the company said.

About the author

Josh Lowensohn joined CNET in 2006 and now covers Apple. Before that, Josh wrote about everything from new Web start-ups, to remote-controlled robots that watch your house. Prior to joining CNET, Josh covered breaking video game news, as well as reviewing game software. His current console favorite is the Xbox 360.
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